Eight Easy Steps
by psychokitty3
Summary: The AU Life of Piper Halliwell, a teenager going through normal teenage problems... and some not-so-normal ones. It goes through her happiness and glee, her pain and suffering. In this world, eight easy steps just ain't that easy. TEEN FIC. chap 8 up
1. Riding

AN: Yah! I'm starting another fic! It's like a disease. I have, what, five in the works now? Oh, well. It's fun to write fics, and I'll try to update them more. I really hope you like the fic!

Chapter one...

T:T:T:T

The beautiful skyline of the Big Apple was brightened by the rays of red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple that sunk deeper and deeper behind it. The sun was setting in New York City.

Just outside the city was a large area of pure nature, with grassy fields and trees and flowers scattered all over. It was the sight of Ryder's Horse Ranch. There were few people left at the ranch, as it was close to closing time. There were a couple of stablehands, Mr. Ryder, and the wealthiest customer to ever come. The customer was a teenage girl, the sole daughter of the Richest Man in America. She spent much of her free time at the Ranch, as it was her way of escape. Despite what the public saw, the girl really hated her father for reasons unknow, except to the select few that were lucky, or unlucky, enough to be close to the Bennetts.

Victor Bennet had moved to New York with his daughter when she was five. Her mother had just died, and he had won the custody of only one of his daughters. The other two were to live with her grandmother in San Fransisco. But, he wanted to leave that entire life behind himself, and start a new one with whom he would soon consider to be his 'one and only daughter'. But, that was not true, as she had two sisters that she missed terribly. She would never forget them, nor would she forgive her father for taking her away from him.

Ten years later, though, she was still stuck with him. He had made himself rich in business, lying and cheating to get to the top. He was most likely the most ruthless businessman to ever hit NYC, or even America. He would even cheat charities out of their money for his own benfit. He was a horrible person. But, in spite of that, money was only second in his list of what he loved the most. The first was his daughter.

She knew that, and she used it to her advantage. She would trick her father out of some of his money, forcing him to give to some charities. She would make him give raises to the employees that she liked, and fire the ones she didn't. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and she took full advantage of it. But, she never used her power for personal gain. She only helped others. After all, there was only one thing that she truly wanted, and he would never give it to her. It was where he drew the line. He would neve rlet her be with her sister.

She was thinking about all of the events in her life as she pulled into the stable. she used horseriding as a way to think about her life. It was the only time she could truly think about her father and not get sompletely furious. It was one of the most relaxing activites ever.

"Whoa, Chupachunga!" the teenager said as she stopped the horse. It was ironic that her favorite horse at the stables had a very rare and confusing name, as she did too. Her name was Piper Bennett, but that wasn't what it said on her birth certificate. It said Piper Halliwell, and she had always felt that it was her rightful last name.

"Hey, Piper!" her best friend at the stables, Bridget, called. She was brushing one of the other horses, Calico. It's markings were somewhat like a calico cat's, which was it's namesake. "Hey, Bridget!" Piper called back, jumping off of Chupachunga. She had been taking riding lessons ever since she was eight, when her father had gotten rich. She was very skilled on horseback. "How did Chupachunga ride today? Was she as fiesty as normal?" Bridget asked, coming up to her friend and helping her lead the horse into it's pen.

"Ah, don't be so hard on her Bridget!" Piper said. "She's not fiesty at all, are you, Chupi?" Piper asked, putting her face right in the horses. One could have sworn, when looking into her eyes, that Chupachunga had a gleam in her eyes, as if she were smiling. "Your right, she's not fiesty. At least compared to you." Bridget joked. "Hey, I'm not fiesty!" Piper defended, and then thought for a moment. "Okay, maybe just a little bit." she admitted. "Uh-huh." Bridget responded, closing the on Chupachunga.

"So, going back to your dad?" Bridget asked, as the two walked out of the stables. "Have to. He has a limo waiting for me." Piper said, rolling her eyes. "Gee, I though limo riding was fun before I met you." Bridget said. "Why do you hate him so much?" she added. As long as she had known Piper, the girl had hated her dad. But, she never gave an explanation why.

"Um... well, it's complicated." Piper said finally. She wasn't allowed to tell anyone about her sisters, as her father didn't want it leaked out to the press. She didn't want it leaked either, as it would mean that her sisters would also be lost in the swarm of the media. One Halliwell sister was enough for them.

"Girl, everything is complicated when your father is involved. Spill." Bridget said. "Fine." Piper caved. "I'm not an only child." Piper could almost hear Briget's jaw drop, and her eyes widen. "What?" she asked. "I'm not an only child. I have two sisters that live in San Fransisco." Piper elaborated. After a stunned silence, Briget smiled. "You're joking, right?" she asked. Piper shook her head. "Nope. When my mom died, she left three girls behind. My grandmother has custody of Prue and Phoebe, Dad as custody of me." Piper said.

"Whoa. Victor Bennett is the last person I would have expected to be keeping half of his family hidden." Bridget said. "No wonder you hate him." "See, now you FINALLY get it!" Piper said. "I sure do." Bridget said, and shook her head. "Well, we both better get going. Good luck with your ride in a delux limo!" Bridget yelled. "Thanks!" Piper said, and ran up to the limo. The chauffer jumped out and opened the door for her. "Thanks, James." Piper said, rolling her eyes at the stereotypical name. "Your welcome, Ms. Bennett." James said. It was time to head back to Bennett Estate.

T:T:T:T

AN: How do you guys like the first chapter? I hope you liked it! Don't worry, everything will evolve... eventually. Oh, and could you tell I know absolutely nothing about horses? Oh, well. I like them, I just don't know a damn thing about them. Please review! 


	2. Fight

AN: Update! Teehee... I'm in a really zany insaney mood today. Yippee!

WINTER BLAZE - I know there were some mistakes, but my spell check wasn't working! But, it's working now, so don't worry. And, yes, I am a very fast typest. I can type and entire chapter in twenty minutes if I have a huge brain rush. Thanks for the review, and the first one, too!  
OTHCHARMEDFREAK - There is only, like, one chapter left with horses in it, but thanks for the offer! Thanks so much!  
CHARMED-ANGEL4 - Thanks, and lotses of exclamation points. I L-O-V-E them! LILLYNILLY - Thanks  
SOCKERKEEPER01 - Thanks. And, yes, Leo will EVENTUALLY be in it. This story is quite a bit long, so it will take a little while. When he comes in, though, it will be quite fluffy. Teehee! I LOVE FLUFF! Yay!

Chapter two...

T:T:T:T

Piper walked into Bennett Estate, and her butler, Charles, closed the door behind her. She had just walked into the grand entranceway to Bennett Estate. The ceiling was about three stories above the hardwood floor, and it was intricately carved with real gold set into it. There was a white marble grand staircase leading from two stories up to the floor that Piper was standing on. It was wide enough for at least ten people to walk down, side by side.

"Ms. Bennett!"

Piper turned to where someone was calling her supposed surname, and looked at the face of the head chef, Gina. Her chef's uniform was covered in flour and other various cooking ingredients, and she looked happy. "Ms. Bennett, I know how you like to, um... supervise the cooking done that this Estate, so I was wondering if you wanted to do so today." Gina asked. Piper smiled. When she 'supervised' the food preparation, it really meant that she was taking part in it. She loved cooking, but her father wouldn't allow it. His 'darling daughter' would never have to work a day in her life if everything went his way. So, she had to pretend she was just making sure that the cooks prepared all the food correctly in order to slip by her father.

"Um... not today, Gina. I have to get ready. Apparently my father wants to have dinner with me, and he would absolutely abhor it if he saw me in my 'street clothes' looking 'bedraggled' and such." Piper said, exaggerating a British accent while saying it, with all the correct grammar and words that were prim and proper. Gina tried to hold back her laughter. "Very well, Ms. Bennett." she said, and walked back to the kitchen.

Piper sighed, and turned towards the staircase. Her bedroom was on the third story, in the west wing. It was about the size of a regular person's house, complete with her own luxurious bathroom, gigantic walk-in closet and deluxe Entertainment Room. The Entertainment room included a pool table, an air hockey table, a ping pong table, a 60 inch TV with both PS2 and a Game-box, six arcade games, a piano, a huge stereo, another 70-inch TV with a large DVD selection and surround sound and the best cable out there, and much, much more. It would have been an understatement to say that her father spoiled her.

T:T:T:T

When Piper walked into her bedroom, she saw her personal maid, Marcie, pretending to clean off Piper's glass bedside tables. Marcie really didn't have to do much, as Piper was a natural neat freak. She would clean everything herself, so all Marcie had to do was do whatever Piper asked her to. Which, pretty much, allowed Marcie to do whatever she wanted. Piper wouldn't allow someone to do all the work for her, so she would just occasionally tell Marcie to do something so that it looked like she was doing her job.

Piper and Marcie had grown pretty close, as Marcie had been with the family ever since Victor Bennett had gotten rich. She was only 7 years older than Piper, which made her only fifteen when she had been hired. They had become best friends, as Piper really couldn't be truthful to anyone else. All of the other people that her father allowed her to associate with were snobbish and rude. So, Marcie was one of Piper's few friends. But, the two would have tons of fun together. Piper and Marcie talked freely with each other. They knew almost everything about each other, so there were no secrets. Piper had been the first one to know when Marcie had gotten pregnant with her now one-year-old son, and Marcie was the first person outside of the family that knew that the famous Victor Bennett was hiding two daughters. The two were like two peas in a pod.

"Hey, Marcie!" Piper called cheerily. Marcie plopped the rag down in her little cleaning basket, and sat down on Piper's massive canopy bed. "Hey, Piper." she greeted. "So, I hear your father wants to have dinner with you again tonight." Marcie would always get right to the point. "You heard right." Piper responded disgustedly. She walked over to her closet, and looked around at the hundreds of shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, and many, many pairs of shoes. "What to wear..." she said as she walked deeper into her closet. "You know, I have always been SO jealous of how much stuff you have." Marcie said, looking around the closet, too. "Yeah. It's all due to the fact that I have virtually no family, but you do. I am jealous of YOU for that." Piper pointed out. "I guess you're right. I would take my stuff over your family problems any day." Marcie said. "Thanks." Piper responded sarcastically.

T:T:T

About an hour later, Piper was finally ready to go to dinner with her father. She hated that she had to get so dressed up just to go to dinner with her own father, but it was the way of the rich and the famous. Her father was pretty famous for his title of Richest Man in America, so there were quite a few news schticks about both him and his teenage daughter.

"Hello, Piper." Victor said as Piper sat down in her chair across the table from her father. She never minded the arrangement. It meant that she could be as far away from her father as possible. "Hello, Dad." Piper said stiffly, and began eating the food laid out in front of her. It was one of her favorites, the chef's specialty pork. After quite a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Victor asked "So, how's school?" Piper paused, and looked at her father incredulously. "Dad, school has been out for three weeks." she said, rolling her eyes. "It has?" Victor asked, and then began eating his food again.

When Piper finished eating, she immediately stood up from her seat. "Where are you going, Piper? You're supposed to wait until I'm done to even think of getting up." Victor said. 'God, another one of his damn rules.' Piper thought, and sighed. "Well, I have stuff to do." she said, trying her hardest to think of an excuse to NOT have to spend any more time with her father. "No, you don't. Nothing is scheduled for you tonight." Victor responded. "Well, have you thought that there is something that I want to do that's NOT on the schedule?" Piper asked, her temper beginning to rise up despite her efforts to suppress it. It was getting harder and harder to keep down recently. "What would you want to do more than have dinner with your father?" Victor asked, standing up and coming to Piper. He was completely oblivious to how much she hated him. "I can think of a lot of things." Piper said quietly, but Victor heard it.

"My God, Piper, why are you so hostile towards me? I have done nothing but been a good father!" Victor said, and Piper snorted. "Yeah, right." she said, rolling her eyes. "You are a great father, you just happen to have ridiculous rules, be very greedy, never be around, and take me away from your other two daughters!" Victor rolled his eyes. "God, Piper, you're never going to see them again! I thought that you would forgotten about them by now!" he yelled, put his head down. "I expected more out of you then to hold onto petty little girls." Piper's temper boiled up inside of her, and she tried her hardest to keep it down. She finally narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I can't believe you." she stated, calmly yet angrily. She then spun on her heal, and headed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

T:T:T:T

AN: Yup, he's an ass, isn't he? I'm sorry if some of you like Victor, I do too. But, I had to have him be evil 'cause... well, just 'cause it helps one of the things that happens. Trust me, you'll get it eventually. Please, please review! 


	3. Missing

g    gknow it's short, but it was originally even shorter! And, yes, Leo WILL eventually be introduced, as well as many other familiar characters. But... two BIG things, have to happen before then. Actually, if it's BIG, it's four. Yups. It will take a while, and this is gonna be a LONG fic. But, they will be introduced, trust me! You'll see a little bit of why at the end of this chapter!

SYAD YNIAR - Thanks.  
WINTER BLAZE - Yup yup yup! He's an ass. Thanks for the review!  
OTHCHARMEDFREAK - Yeah, sorry, this is the last chapter with them. They MIGHT come in later, I'm still debating that. But, it really won't be a big part in the plot. I have stuff that'll be big. Teehee! Thanks for the review!  
ASHERSMASHER - Yay adverbs! I love 'em. Teehee! I'm hyper. And yes, P/L hook-up will happen, eventually. This story spans quite a long time period, and she'll meet him in, like, a few months. Not too long, as I will be skipping time. A lot of 'Step One' will be in 1 day. You'll see why. And yes, I have come up with the eight steps, they'll just come along slowly, and some will be long, and some even combined. I'll be having lots of fun with this fic. Thanks for the review!  
LILLYNILLY - Evil like mean. I'm PROBABLY not gonna have magic in this fic, but it's still a slim possibility. Thanks for the review!  
CLAIRE - Yes, poor, poor Piper. A lot more poor at the end of this chapter. Teehee! Thanks for the review!

Chapter three...

T:T:T:T

Early the next morning, Piper woke up to her alarm at seven o'clock AM. She knew that it was really early, but she couldn't get up any later. She needed to be out of the house by eight if she didn't want to see her father. She was still furious about their row the night before, and she didn't want to deal with his attempts to apologize and/or his attempts to make her apologize. There was no way an apology would be accepted that morning, or ever, really. She would never owe one to him, and she would never accept his.

But, it turned out, seven a.m. was the time that most of the employees of Bennett Estate showed up for work, including Marcie. When Piper was getting dressed in clothes that were comfortable to ride in, Marcie snuck into the room. She jumped when she spotted Piper.

"Girl, what in the heck are you doing up this early?" Marcie asked, putting her hand over her heart. "I'm going for a ride." Piper replied shortly, putting her long hair up in a ponytail. "At seven in the morning? You don't get up at seven in the morning." Marcie said. "Well, I do today." Piper said, turning towards Marcie. "I do NOT want to run into Victor." Piper added. "Uh-oh." Marcie said, her eyes going wide. "You're back to calling him Victor. How'd he piss you off this time?" "We fought last night. I don't want to talk about it." Piper added the last part when she saw Marcie open her mouth to ask a question.

"Sisters?" Marcie asked anyway. What could she say? They were friends, and she was curious. "Yes. Apparently, he thinks that I should have forgotten about them by now, as I'm never going to see them again." Piper said, clenching her teeth and pulling extra hard on her boots. "Should I tell him where you are?" Marcie asked, and Piper nodded. "Yeah, but say that you tried to stop me. I don't want you getting fire because of this." Piper said, and opened the door. "See ya later, Marcie." she said, and headed out of her bedroom door.

T:T:T

Ryder's Horse Ranch opened at seven o'clock every morning. That became very fortunate for the Ranch's richest customer, as she really needed to think that morning, and just plain old relax. She wanted to forget about the argument with her father, and just enjoy the serenity of the landscape at Ryder's Horse Ranch.

When Piper walked up to the gates at about eight o'clock, many of the stablehands were surprised. Piper was not known to be an early riser, and also ALWAYS came in a limo. But, since she came up to the stable with some casual clothes good for riding horses and her boots, everyone stopped and watched.

As soon as Piper reached the stables, Bridget ran up to her. "Piper, what in the name of New York are you doing here this early?" she asked. "Um... I'm here to ride a horse." Piper stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, but you normally come around, say, noon at the earliest." Bridget pointed out. "Well... I had a blowout with my dad last night, and I needed to escape him." Piper explained. "Are you sure that he won't get worried?" Bridget asked. "Yeah, I told Marcie to tell him." Piper said. Bridget knew all about Marcie, and Marcie knew all about Bridget. The two had actually met without Piper to get to know each other, and had become fast friends. The three of them sometimes got together at 'common places', as Victor Bennett would call them.

"Well," Bridget said, "Chupachunga is over this way. But, be carefu. She's extra skiddish this mornin'." "Don't worry, Bridget." Piper reassured. "You know as well as I do that I'm the only rider that Chupi really likes." "Yeah, and you're also the only one that she will allow to call her Chupi." Bridget said. "Well, it's easier to say." Piper defended. "I know, I know." Bridget said. Piper took Chupachunga from her friend's hands and saddled her up. After Chupachunga was ready for the early morning ride, Piper climbed on her back and set off. "Have a good ride, Piper!" Bridget called. "Thanks!" Piper called back, and then was out of sight.

T:T:T

Ryder's Horse Ranch was a wonderful place to ride horses. There were fifty acres of beautiful land, with varying terrains and many different trails through the then-acre woods on the property. It even had a ten-acre mini-forest. It was a gorgeous place even without the horses, but it was one of the BEST places to ride them. As Piper rode along, she slowed Chupachunga down to a slow walk. She wanted to just enjoy the scenery of the woods and enjoy the peaceful morning air.

Piper was on Chupachunga, the two of them going slowly down the trail in the middle of the woods. Suddenly, Piper became aware of a horse galloping up behind her and Chupachunga. She directed Chupachunga towards the right of the trail so that the rider could pass. But, the move proved to be unnecessary as the rider slowed beside her. Piper didn't bother to look at the rider, as she didn't really care to start a conversation with anyone. She figured that the rider would eventually speed up if it was being ignored.

After a moment, Piper began to get curious about who the rider was, but before she could turn her head to see she felt something touch her back. It was cold, and metal.

T:T:T

About two hours after Piper set off her riding, Bridget was taking care of a few other horses in the stable. She was taking a break when she saw something run over the nearby hill and into view. She used her hand as a visor over her eyes to make out what it was. As it came closer, she could make out what it was. 'A horse?' she thought. 'What the hell is a horse doing without a rider?' Bridget set out in a run towards the horse, not wanting to lose one of the valuable animals. With the horse galloping wildly towards her, and her running towards it, the two met up in no time.

Just before the horse ran past her, Bridget hopped on, wanting to calm it. "Chupachunga?" she whispered as she ran her hand through the horse's mane and down her side, trying to calm her down. "What are you doing here?" Bridget's thoughts immediately went to Piper, one of her best friends. She quickly rode the horse over to the stables, and jumped off of her as soon as they were under the roof.

As soon as she was next to the still horse, she noticed an envelope tucked right under Chupachunga's saddle, making it stay in place. Bridget took the envelope out, and flipped it over. There was no name on it. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the envelope. A folded piece of plain white paper was revealed, and Bridget opened it up. She read it.

_Mr. Bennett,_

We have your daughter.

We'll call with instructions.

Meet each and every one of our demands if you ever want to see your precious little girl ever again. 

Bridget had to read over the newspaper and magazine clippings letter again to make sure that she wasn't just in a bad nightmare that she would soon wake up from.

"Oh my God, Piper."

T:T:T:T

AN: Dun Dun Duh... Quite an interesting turn of events, huh? Teehee... please review! 


	4. Awakening

AN: I'm updating! This will probably be the only time in, like, a while. Next week, I have 2 midterms, and 4 projects due, all in the first 3 days! It's horrible! Please, please, shower me with reviews to make me happy! And, I noticed I only had 3 reviews last chapter. I'm very thankful to those who reviewed, and I don't mean to sound um... demanding is the right word, I think, but that's half the amount I had the chapter before. Just pointing it out.

OTHCHARMEDFREAK - Now, now, now, hate is a strong word. Use loathe and despise. That's how I describe my math teacher (the freakin' chipmunk!)And yes, I am updating. Don't worry, just don't. Thanks so much!  
LILLLYNILLY - No, it's not her sisters, but... grr... well, I can't tell you anything. Sorry! :(. Thanks for the review! (look, the smiley has a mole on it's chin! Teehee!) (that kinda looked like a smiley)  
PIPERLEO4EVA - Perplexed? I think you are. TEehee! I feel so weird today. Oh, well. (shrugs) You want her back? Well... kidnappings can't get solved in one chapter. Sorry. But... I won't take too long on it. There aren't any major events, well there are... grr! Thanks for the review!

Chapter four...

T:T:T:T

Piper slowly felt herself regaining consciousness. Her head was pounding, and she felt incredibly nauseous and disoriented. She couldn't remember where she was, or why she was was there. She couldn't really remember anything that had happened in the past few hours.

Her senses slowly began working again. She tried to open her eyes, and found that she couldn't. Something was blocking her eyelids from opening so that she could see. She tried to reach up to remove whatever it was, but she found that her hands wouldn't move from behind her back. In fact, she could barely move them back there either. Her wrists seemed to be bound tightly behind her back. She tried to move her legs, and found that her ankles were bound as well. Her right one hurt like hell. 'What the hell is going on?' she thought, beginning to get a little scared. She was bound, and blindfolded. Oh, wait, she was gagged too. She had tried to talk, but something was keeping her mouth shut, and stopping her from speaking out.

Suddenly, all the memories came flooding back. She knew how she had got there, but she still didn't know where or why she was. She remembered that she had been taking while riding Chupi in the forest at Ryder's Horse Ranch.

After the man had put a gun to her back, he had instructed her to stop the horse. She had, and he had told her that he was going to take the gun away from her back for a moment. She had nodded, and when he did, she had hit both sides of her horse. Chupi had galloped off, with Piper on her back. But, the man had caught up to her, and pushed her off of Chupi. The horse had kept going, heading in the direction of the stables. She hadn't been to hurt by the fall too much, and had scrambled up off of the ground. But, before she had another chance to run, the man had grabbed her from behind. He had her around, the waist, and his hand was over her mouth.

After a few moments of struggling in his hold, Piper had seen another man, dressed completely in black with a black ski mask on, leading Chupi back towards them. He had secured the horse, and then come over towards Piper. He had pulled out a thick, black cloth, and tied it around her eyes. She couldn't have opened her eyes, so it was the last thing that she saw. She had felt the man holding her push her onto her knees, and then bend her forwards so that her back was parallel to the ground. She had felt her hands pulled behind her back, and felt them be tightly bound with duct tape.

Just then, Piper had decided to make one last attempt at fighting. She had quickly reached one of her legs back and kicked one of the men in the groin. In retaliation, he had stomped on her ankle, which was flat on the ground. She had heard it snap, and an intense pain shot through her ankle. She screamed, and felt something go over her mouth and nose. It had immediately made her dizzy. "Night night, Ms. Bennett." one of the men had said, and then she quickly fell into unconsciousness.

The pain in her ankle was quickly becoming more and more painful until she had to scream because it hurt so much. It had been a medium-loudness scream, barely noticeable through her gag. But, she had heard a door open in response. Footsteps came towards her, and she began shaking. She had no idea what they would do to her.

T:T:T

Piper quickly felt a hand strike her across the face. The force of the impact had sent Piper falling to the ground, as she had been sitting up against a wall before. "Hey, don't hit her. We need her." a male voice said, and Piper felt herself being pulled back into a sitting position, with her legs laid out in front of her. "Why do we? All we need is the money, she doesn't have to be alive." another voice asked. It was male as well, but it was deeper, more gruff.

Piper began shaking at that comment. 'Oh God, they're going to kill me.' she thought. "Yes, we do. When the drop off happens, we need her as leverage so that we don't get caught. We need her as a distraction so that we can leave the state. That's why we blindfolded her, so that she couldn't identify us." the other man said. Piper relaxed a slight amount, but not much. She might not be killed, but there was no telling what the men would do to her in her defenseless state.

"Should we call her father now?" the man with the deeper voice asked. Piper decided to call the nicer one Bob, and the mean one Fred, just so that she could keep them straight in her head. "Yes. How much should we get?" Bob asked, and Piper could hear him picking something up. "He's a millionaire, right?" Fred asked. There was a short pause. "How about... 15 billion?" he asked. "Yeah. he's a trillionaire, so that shouldn't be a big problem. It better not be, at least. If he wants to see his daughter again."

T:T:T

"Here we are, standing in front of the famed Bennett Estate, home of trillionaire Victor Bennett. His fifteen-year-old daughter has been kidnapped, and is currently being held for ransom. The kidnapper's demands are currently unknown, but they are expected to call with their demands within the hour. The police are..."

The TV reported rambled on in the background of the large study of Bennett Estate. Victor Bennett was waiting anxiously by his phone, wanting his daughter's kidnappers to call. He wanted to get his whole thing over with, so that he could get his daughter back. She was HIS daughter, his ONLY daughter, in his mind, at least. He had chosen to have custody of her because she was the ONLY daughter that he ever truly loved. The other two were just little bitches in the making. Phoebe had been born when he and Pa- no, their mother, had been separated. Prue had always disliked her father, so Victor hadn't really liked her. Piper was really the only one of his 'daughters' that he considered his own flesh and blood.

Just then, the phone started ringing, knocking him out of his wondering thoughts. The police nodded their heads at him, and he picked up his phone.

"Hello?"

T:T:T:T

AN: I know, kinda short, but the phone call will be next time. Teehee! Just to let you know, this fic will mostly be in third person limited (which means it's kinda like how the Harry Potter books are made, with basically everything that Harry sees is the only stuff in the book. It'll be like that, only from Piper's perspective, not Harry Potter's. That would be kinda weird if it were, wouldn't it?), so a scene with no Piper will not happen often, only occasionally. Um... review, please please please! 


	5. Secret

AN: Hey, guys! I'm back! Sorry I took a while in updating, I just had 4 (yes, 4) projects due this week, and I was working my ass off! And, today's a snow day! YAY! So, I'm updating! Please review at the end, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

LILLYNILLY - Thanks, and I was waiting for someone to ask those questions! It's called 'Eight Easy Steps' because the song that inspired me for this fic was 'Eight Easy Steps' by Alanis Morissette. Don't ask how it inspired me. It just did. Also, I can't tell you what the steps are, as it would give a lot away. Sorry! But, just to let you know, the chapter titles are only one word for a reason.  
CHARMED-ANGEL4 - Yups, I wanted to make him a major ass. He'll be a bit more of one in this chapter. Damn him! Teehee! Thanks!  
C.C. MCKENNA - Thanks, and plotting? What does plotting mean? Is it the sound a horse makes when it walks? Or does it mean something else.  
WINTER BLAZE - Thanks!  
CLAIRE - Yeah, it sucks. I will DEFINITELY not be able to write this weekend, 'cause I gotta do them all! Sometimes it sucks being a procrastinator.  
DARKANGEL06 - I know, I've just had a real brain rush for this one! I'm sorry! Thanks!  
NICOLE812US - Thanks. Yups!  
OTHCHARMEDFREAK - Okay, okay, but the next chapter of this probably won't be up until, like, not this weekend, but the next weekend. I gots lots to do. Yups! Thanks for the review!

T:T:T:T

As soon as Piper heard her father's voice on the other end of the line, she felt a gun press against her temple. "Stay quiet." Fred commanded, jabbing the gun a little bit into her head. But, it wasn't necessary, she couldn't do anything anyway.

"Hello, Mr. Bennett." Bob said, obviously into the speaker phone. "I presume you already know why we're calling, so let's cut to the chase. Bring fifteen billion dollars to The corner of Avon and Lady Roads at midnight, tonight. Don't bring your policeman buddies, who I know are listening, or your daughter dies." "Don't you dare hurt her!" Piper heard her father's voice say threateningly over the speaker phone. "Ah ah ah, Mr. Bennett. You wouldn't want to say something you would regret later, would you?" Bob asked calmly, yet the underlying threat could still be heard loud and clear.

"C-Can i talk to my daughter?" Victor Bennett asked over the phone, sounding extremely worried. Piper heard Bob sigh, and could almost picture eyes rolling. "Fine. Be quick." he said, and Piper heard footsteps. She suddenly felt the duct tape over her mouth be ripped off, along with what seemed most of her hair and at LEAST one layer of skin. It hurt like hell. She then felt someone reach into her mouth and take out the cloth that was doing most of the muffling. She moved her jaw around a little bit, happy that she could move it again after what seemed like hours of stiffness.

"Talk." she heard Bob demand, as Fred pushed the gun against her head for a reminder that it was still there, and she should watch what she said. She then heard a small clap-ish noise. It seemed as if Bob had put the speaker closer to where she was sitting. "Daddy?" Piper asked.

Piper's voice was small and quiet. It sounded as if a little girl were speaking to her father, not a teenager. But, the little, quivering voice portrayed much of the emotion swirling around Piper's head and heart. Despite the fact that she loathed and despised her father, she wanted to be with him at that time, not just talking to him over the speaker phone. She would rather have been anywhere but where she was at that moment. She wanted to be safe again.

"Piper? Is that you?" Piper heard her father ask. "Yeah, Dad, it's me." Piper replied, in the same little girlish voice. "Oh, honey, I'm so happy to hear your voice." Victor said, sounding a bit relieved. "I'm so sorry about our argument last night. Um... have you told... them anything about it?" Piper paused for a moment, stunned. The first time she talked to her father while she was being held for ransom, he asked if she had told her kidnappers about her sisters. Why the hell would he think that she told them that? She would have to be completely out of her mind before she puts her sisters in danger, and probably not even then. If she could, she would have rolled her eyes. "No, I haven't." Piper said, annoyed. She could not BELIEVE her father!

"Thank God! Are you okay? Have they hurt you?" her dad asked. Of course, he only asked about her well being AFTER he found out whether she had exposed his secret or not. 'What a jerk.' Piper thought. She knew that her father cared about her a lot, but it seemed that he cared about shutting out the rest of their family more. It was ridiculous. "Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. I'm only hurt a little bit, don't worry. Just a broken AH!"

Before Piper had a chance to tell her father her small injury on her ankle, one of the men grabbed her hair tightly, and pulled her head back, causing Piper to yelp. They apparently didn't want her to tell her father that they had hurt her in any way. "Piper! PIPER!" Piper heard her name being called out by her father over the phone. "Goodbye, Mr. Bennett." Piper heard Bob say to her father, then heard the unmistakable 'click' of a phone hanging up. "Bitch!" Piper heard Fred call, and then felt a sharp pain on the side of her head. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

T:T:T

AN: Okay, I was originally gonna make that part one chapter, but then discovered that it was WAY too short. So, on with the next part of the chapter...

T:T:T

After what seemed like hours and hours, Piper finally heard someone walk into the room. After she had woken up, she had had an intense throbbing in her head that she couldn't get rid of. Her gag was also back in, muffling any sound she made. By the time she heard the footsteps, though, there was only a constant, dull throb in her head and her ankle.

She felt the duct tape get ripped off of her mouth, and the cloth taken out again. One of the men had taken her gag out, but for what reason she did not know. "How are you feeling?" the man asked. Piper recognized the voice. It was Bob's. "How do you think I'm doing, you twit?" Piper asked, against her better judgment. She never really was good at controlling her temper. Piper felt a hand swipe across her face, and her head shot to the side. She could feel a slight trickle of blood run down her cheek as a result of the slap.

"I'll take that as a good." Bob said. "Now, I'll get to the real reason I'm here. My partner and I are curious. What WAS your fight about?" Piper paused, debating whether or not to say anything. She knew that the man in front of her (she assumed) could kill her in a second. But she also knew that they needed her, and she might be putting her sisters in danger if she said a thing. Not only would they be in danger of being kidnapped like she was, but there would be a media circus on their lawn. She didn't want to put her sisters through that. "None of your business." Piper replied shortly.

She felt her chin grabbed in one of Bob's rough hands. Her head was turned in the direction that she assumed was Bob's face. "You're going to tell me now, and you're going to like it. Either that, or you're dead." Bob threatened. Piper debated inside. If she told, and they told, then everyone would be able to know who kidnapped her. It would be an easy trap. "Look in my right jean pocket." Piper said finally.

Bob reached into the said pocket, and pulled out what was inside of it. Piper heard a pause, and knew that he had no clue what the picture meant. But, Piper did. It was the only picture that she had left of her family, and it was a pretty good one too. It was taken just a few weeks before her mother had drowned. It consisted of her Grams, her mom, and her sisters. She always kept it on her, wanting to keep them near at all times.

After a moment, Bob asked "What is this?" It was obvious that he was completely confused. "Look at the little girl in the middle." Piper directed. She knew the picture by heart, so she knew where everyone was. She could envision it in her mind at that moment, not only giving directions to Bob but also trying to find comfort. "And?" he asked, still having no clue. "That's me." Piper explained. "That's you? Who are the other women?" Bob asked. He was actually being kind of civil for a kidnapper. "The old lady is Grams, my mom's mom, the lady is my mom, and the two little girls on either side of me are my sisters, Prue and Phoebe." Piper said.

"But I thought your mother died in childbirth." Bob stated, repeating the reason the public thought that Piper didn't have a mother. "No, that's what the public is told, but it's not true. I grew up with my Grams, Mom, Prue, and Phoebe until I was five. That's when my mom drowned in the lake at the camp that my older sister Prue and I used to go to. She was the parent with the custody of the three of us, so, when she died, the custody issue had to be redone. Grams won the custody of two of us, Dad the custody of one of us. Prue hated him, and Phoebe was smart-mouthed, so he took me.

After a moment of silence, Bob said "Wow. He's more of a pig then I thought he was." Piper could tell, then and there, that Bob was getting on her side, and might be on more than one issue. Like the fact that she was his captive.

T:T:T:T

AN: Don't worry, this whole kidnapping schtick will be over soon. I mean, there's not much else I can do. There's, like, three chapters of it left. (shrugs) Oh, well. Please, please review! 


	6. Delivery!

AN: Hey, guys! Sorry for the long wait, but here's the chapter! Hope you enjoy! Oh, and just to give you people a hint to where I live (I just feel like it), I wanted to tell you a new law that was just passed. Apparently, it is now illegal in my state (US) to where your pants so low that your underwear shows. If you're caught doing it, you're fined 50 bucks. Apparently, it's been on the national news, which is the first time my state has been on the national news since, well, forever. I don't live in a very interesting place. Well, um... that's it. Just read the damn fic!

LILLYNILLY - Wait... did I say there were three chappies left? No, I think I did not! I just said that was it for the kidnapping chtick. That doesn't mean that the story isn't gonna continue! I mean, this story is called 'eight easy steps'. How many steps have you seen so far? I have 8 steps lined up for this!  
PIPER+LEO4EVA - Thanks.  
DARKANGELO6 - Happy? I think so! Thanks!  
CHARMED-ANGEL4 - I love the name Bob. You will like him at the beginning of this chappie, but not at the end. You'll see! Thanks for the review!  
NICOLE812US - Um... no. He ain't THAT good. But... well, you'll find out in a few chappies... Thanks for the review!  
OTHCHARMEDFREAK - This is a little bit faster, isn't it? I think it is... I'm not sure. Well, I'm updating anyway. Thanks!  
CHARMED4LIFE - Thanks.  
VERSATILECUTIE - I don't know that answer to that question! Yeah, it is better late than never. But, it ain't that late. In fact, if you can belive it, it is REALLY early in the fic. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Thanks for the review!  
KK241289 - Thanks, and I'll try! But, I don't know if I can. School, you know! Wait... I think I just realized something! Is your b-day the numbers after KK? Is it?  
CHARMED-GREEK - Thanks! That's not all you have to say, I bet. I could write a review for days if I had that kind of attention span.

Chapter six...

T:T:T:T

Hours.

Hours and hours and hours.

That's how long Piper was tied up on the cold dark floor on the room she was kept in, all alone.

After the long time completely alone, Piper barely noticed it when the door opened, and two sets of footsteps entered the room. What she did notice, though, was when a large hand gripped her right upper-arm tightly. The man pulled her to her feet, and held her when she swayed on her bound ankles. She also noticed when she was again pushed down onto her knees, and her back pushed so that it was parallel to the ground. She then felt the cold, metal tip of a gun pressed against the back of her head, right near her neck. "Goodbye, Ms. Bennett." she heard a voice say.

Everything suddenly seemed to be moving in slow motion. The tell-tale click of a gun's safety being shut off resounded through the room, and Piper squeezed her eyes tightly shut behind her blindfold. 'This is it.' she though. She kept repeating it in her mind as she saw moments of her life flash before her eyes. Just as she thought that her life was definitely ending, she felt the gun be removed from its place against her skin.

"What are you doing, Fredrick?" Piper heard Fred exclaim. "I'm stopping you from doing something rash and idiotic, Robert." Bob replied. Despite the fact that her life was in danger, Piper couldn't help thinking, 'Oh, I got the names mixd up. Mean one's Bob, nice one's Fred. Interesting.'

"What's stupid 'bout offing her? She's the only that could identify us , and it would cause her dear old daddy to pay more." Robert said. "Well, I think that it's enough just to put her through all of this. After all, terror is worse than death." Frederick said. "What are we supposed to do with her, then?" Robert asked, pulling on Piper's hair, causing her to be upright. "I have a solution to that problem."

T:T:T

Victor Bennett waited nervously on the corner of Avon and Lady roads, wanting the people that took his daughter to come as soon as possible so that he could get her back. He had a box about the size of a refrigerator right next to him. It was filled with 15 billion dollars, his daughter's ransom money. There were only hundreds in the box, and it was filled to the top. But, it was all worth it for his 'only' daughter.

Just then, a black car spun around the corner a block down, and quickly pulled up right in front of where Victor was standing. The man immediately stiffened, tensing at the very thought of this person having his daughter in its clutches. The door to the car opened, and a man dressed fulling in black stepped out. He was even wearing a ski mask, which made Victor immediately conclude that this was the man who had kidnapped his daughter.

"Where is she?" he immediately asked, seeing no one get out of the car with him. "All in good time." the man said, chuckling. It took all of Victor's strength to keep himself from lunging at the man. "Do you have the cash?" the man asked. Victor nodded at the box. "Good" the man said, and then looked at his car. "I think it'll fit in the back seat. You gonna help me with it?" Victor sneered in disgust, but still helped the man get the large box into the back seat of the man's car. He didn't want to jeopardize his daughter's life anymore than he already had.

After the box was secured in the back seat, the masked man and Victor faced each other again. "Okay, now you have what you want. Where's my daughter?" Victor asked impatiently. "Ah ah ah." the man said, shaking his finger at Victor as if the man were only a child. "I tell you that, and I have no leverage. You and your police buddies would just whisk me away without a second thought if I told you that vital information. No, I'd prefer to wait a little bit for my getaway." Victor began shaking with fury, and with grief. He wanted to know where his daughter was NOW.

"But..." the man said, and Victor began paying attention to him again. "I could tell you the information. Of course, that would take the fun out of all of this, but it would keep you off my trail." He paused, it seemed, for dramatic effect. "She's in the building right behind you." Victor turned to face the building, and scratched the back of his head. It was the signal to the camouflaged police that it was time to come out and grab the bad guy. But, the man seemed to make that deduction as the police came out of their hiding places, and he pulled out a small stick with two tiny buttons on the end.

"Na ah ah!" he yelled, and held the stick high. "You wouldn't want the building to blow, now would you?" he asked menacingly. The police and Victor froze in their tracks. "Now, you don't want to do anything stupid..." The police tried to futilely to get him to give them the trigger to the bomb. Finally, the man seemed to have had enough of their coaxing. He pressed one of the buttons.

"Okay, you now have five minutes to find the girl and disarm the bomb. You try to follow me, and I can set off the bomb before the time limit is up. Good day." The man chuckled as he jumped into his car and began speeding away. The police and Victor did not see when he picked up his partner from a block down, as they were already opening the door to the building, trying to save Piper's life.

T:T:T

Piper's heart skipped a beat. The bomb attached to her chest was beeping. She had five minutes to live.

T:T:T:T

AN: Sorry for the long wait, I just have had HUGE writer's block for this fic, as well as all the other fics that I have been working on. Please, please review, and I'll try to update as soon as I can! 


	7. Blast

AN: I know, I haven't updated in a while, but school sucks. That's all I have to say.

LILLYNILLY - Thanks!  
DARKANGEL06 - It's okay to want updates! I want them all the time. But, I do kind of understand when authors don't do updates. School, work, writer's block, etc., etc... Thanks for the review!  
KK241289 - Oh, you lucky duck! We have the hardest grading system EVER! A 93 is the lowest A for us, 85 the lowest B, 77 the lowest C, and 70 the lowest D. Anything below that fails! Grr... hate my county. Oh, well. Thanks!  
CHUB - I know u want to know what happens. You will soon, and can probably guess at the end of this chapter! Thanks!  
WINTER BLAZE - Thanks!  
PIPER+LEO4EVA - Sorry I didn't update super soon, but oh well. Thanks!  
OTHCHARMEDFREAK - Let me guess.. the F in OMFG was something that relates to 'freakin'? Just a guess... thanks for the review!  
NICOLE812US - Yeah, and i never end a story in so little chapters. I only super delay stories because i get major writer's block that I can't shake off. All the stories that I haven't updated in a while have half of the next chapter written, i just can't write the second half! Thanks for the review!  
VERSATILECUTIE - That's kind of where I got the idea, because I thought it would be ideal for this. But, this ending is much different... Thanks for the review!

Chapter seven...

T:T:T:T

Piper's heart beats seemed to follow the beeping of the bomb. She kept track of how many beeps there were. 120 beeps were what she had counted so far. A minute had passed, as there were two beeps a second. 130 beeps. Piper felt as if she would explode from the fear coursing through her veins. She never knew that someone could have so much emotion at once, and she never wanted to experience the feeling again. If she would live that long, that is. 140 beeps. 

Suddenly, Piper heard another rhythmic sound, apart from the dreadful beeps. Were those... footsteps? "Check in there!" she heard someone shout. Yes, they were footsteps, and they were heading closer and closer. Also, judging by the voice, it wasn't Bob or Fred. They were her rescuers. At least, if they could get her out in time. 

CRREEAAKK! A door opened, one that seemed extremely close. "Found her!" she heard a different man shout, and footsteps hurried over to where she was sitting. She felt someone reach around her head, and unknot her blindfold. It fell off of her face and onto the floor. But, she hadn't seen that, just felt that. As soon as light flooded into her eyes, she closed them again. It hurt them to actually see after such a long time in the dark.

Piper then heard some more footsteps head her way, and felt someone fiddle with the bomb on her chest, and other hands, ripping the duct tape off her feet and hands. The gag was also removed from her mouth, and she tried to open her eyes, but ended up blinking furiously. But, this time, she could actually move her hands up to rub her eyes and try to make herself actually see. 

"You have to get out of here." Piper said, after a few seconds of futilely attempting to make herself see anything. "The bomb-" "Is going to go off in three minutes, we know." another man said. She felt hands fiddle with the straps that kept the bomb on her chest, and it was lifted off of her. "Take her out of here, Mr. Bennett." one of the previous men stated. Piper guessed that all three men were police officers, or FBI agents. She didn't really know which. 

Piper felt a hand reach out and grab her arm, pulling her up to a standing position. Within all the chaos, Piper had forgotten about her broken ankle. But, the new position made her remember quite quickly. She instantly pulled her right foot off of the ground. "My ankle..." she started weakly. She couldn't believe how raspy and dry her voice was. It seemed as if over twelve hours of not eating, drinking, or really using her jaw except for a few precious minutes had impacted her speech abilities. 

Luckily, though, that was all that needed to be said. Piper felt the man who pulled her up wrap his arms around her, and support her as they started easing themselves away from the hectic scene. 'Wait... Victor." Piper thought, her brain finally making the connection between the name that the officer said and the expensive cologne she was smelling. The man helping her out of the building was her father.

Piper's heart leapt a bit. She was incredibly happy to be in her father's arms again. She didn't know if she would ever see him again. Not that she wanted to see HIM, exactly, but she wanted to be in the arms of someone familiar. It would bring a bit of comfort to her to see someone she actually knew, and that she knew didn't want to kill her. 

As the two were easing their way through the building, Piper was slowly regaining her eyesight. She could see darkness almost all around her, but she was sure that what she was seeing was real. It was night. She had really been there for hours and hours. Her father turned her into another corridor. Yes, he did turn her. He was basically carrying her, as she was too weak to really walk. She was stiff from the restraints, and weak from the lack of nourishment. The broken ankle didn't help.

"It's gonna blow!"

Victor began hurrying up when they heard the voice shriek the warning. Piper, still only half aware of what was going on around her, felt herself placed on something hard, wooden. She looked wearily around at what she was sitting on, and noticed that it had wheels. . She looked ahead, and saw that there was some light some fifty feet down the hallway. She barely caught a glimpse of her father when he pushed her down the corridor.

She sped down the hallway, taking barely five seconds to head down the entire thing. She was quickly outside, and onto the small landing that led to the door that she had just come out of. The landing was about a story high, and had a railing. The thing that Piper was on hit the railing, and she went flying over it. She flew about thirty feet, and hit a dumpster across the street. She harshly landed on the floor. 

Piper mustered up all her strength to lift herself up and look at the building. Two seconds past, and then there was a deafening BANG!

The windows of the old warehouse blew forward, and pieces of wall and roof went flying. There was fire everywhere. Sirens could be heard in the distance. Piper put her hand over the large piece of glass stuck in her shoulder, and stared at the fiery mass in front of her. 

"No." she whispered, before falling unconscious.

T:T:T:T

AN: Aren't I evil? Oh, well. It had to happen. It leads perfectly into what I have planned next... You'll have to read what it is, but I think that you probably have a guess! Please review! 61 people are on my Author Alert list! You guys should review! 


	8. Everything

AN: Sorry about the delay, it's explained at the bottom! Oh, and savor this next chappie. I'm not gonna update this fic until I have updated at least one chapter on all my others. I realized that I have fics that I haven't updated in months, and i don't want to leave the fans of those hanging for much longer. So, savor. SAVOR!

PS: Oh my Gosh! I JUST figured out how to do that line-thingy! I'm gonna do that from now on!

PRUE AND ANDY! - Um... not entirely. Only half of that is true! Thanks!

VERSATILECUTIE - Damn, you guess quite a lot! Um... yeah, you're kinda right. But, you'll get to read on and see what's happenin'! Thanks for the review!

ASHERSMASHER - Yes, there is gonna be P , but a few things have to happen first!

This is a LONG fic! Thank you!

LILLYNILLY - Yes, a sad irony. Everyone's asking that question. You'll have to see! Thanks!

NICOLE812 - Yup, she does. Quite a rough road, but, oh well. Thanks!

MAGICAL PRINCESS - Everyone is asking/assuming that. You'll see! Thanks!

KK241289 - Oh, sorry if I didn't explain that fully. Piper was in an abandoned building, and you know those wooden wheely things that people push a bunch of stuff on? Well, that's what Victor put Piper on. He pushed her down the hallway and through the open door, and out onto a landing. The landing was about a story up in the air, and had a railing. The wooden thing hit the railing, and piper was catapulted from the landing 30 ft. Sorry if I didn't explain that! (again) Thanks for the review! Oh, and you'll see!

OTHCHARMEDFREAK - That made me laugh. Teehee! I L-O-V-E it when reviews make me laugh! Thanks for that funny review!

PIPER+LEO4EVA - Yes, evil I am. But, oh well. I did write this story, didn't

I? Thanks!

CHARMEDAHOLICS - Thanks!

DARKANGEL06 - Thanks, and I will!

WINTER BLAZE - I wonder... Thanks!

Chapter eight...

* * *

Voices. 

There were voices all around. Up, down, right, left... she didn't know which direction they were coming from. As time passed by, the voices became clearer, louder. Piper began making out what the voices were saying.

"Do you think we should tell her?" "I don't know. It'll come as a shock." "But, don't you think that we'd be the best people to tell her? We know her best." "True, true, but I still don't know..."

As the conversation carried on around her, Piper began regaining her senses.

She could feel something wrapped around her wrist. 'Oh, God, I'm back with the men.' Piper thought for a frightening moment. But, the though was quickly vanquished by the feel of something soft beneath her, and the lack of constrictions. Where was she? Piper felt something warm in her hand, and she squeezed it weakly. The voices suddenly stopped above her.

"Piper?"

Piper felt her heart swell with happiness and relief. She recognized that voice. It was Marcie.

"Did she do something?" asked another voice. Piper felt ever better. Bridget had just asked that question. "I think so. I'm not sure. Piper, are you there?" Piper squeezed her hand again, harder that time. "God, she's up!" Marcie shouted. "I'll get the doctors." Bridget said, and her footsteps could be heard quickly heading away from wherever Piper was.

Wait... doctors. Where were there doctors? 'A hospital' Piper answered herself. 'I'm in a hospital.' That caused her spirits to soar down. What was she doing in a hospital? What had she just been unconscious? Suddenly, like a waterfall, all the memories rushed back to her. The kidnapping, the ransom call, the 'rescue', the blast...

Piper's eyes opened instantly, and she shot up into a sitting position. She was breathing heavily, and held her hand over her heart. "Oh, God." she whispered.

Tears welled in her eyes, and a few slipped down her cheeks. She remembered everything, all the events, and the emotions. The emotions were too much for her. It was too much of a roller coaster for one person, especially a teenager, to handle. Piper felt a hand fall on her shoulder, and she screamed and flinched away.

"It's okay, it's okay." Marcie said, holding her hands up in surrender. "It's just me." Piper looked up into her friend's eyes, and nodded. She knew that Marcie would never do anything to hurt her. Marcie immediately sat next to Piper on the pristine white hospital bed, wrapping her arms around the teenager. Marcie rocked her back and forth as she cried. "It's okay, it's okay." she whispered, trying to reassure her friend.

"Piper!"

Piper looked up at the sound of her name, and saw who was shouting it again. Bridget stood in the doorway, with assorted doctors and nurses behind her. Piper tried to force out a smile, but it didn't seem to come. All she managed to do was slow down her tears, while squeezing onto Marcie's hand as if her life depended on it. In a way, it kind of did. Well, at least her sanity did.

The very professional-looking doctors rushed over to Piper's hospital bed, and began checking what they called her 'vitals'. They checked over her heart, her pupils... basically her entire body. Piper didn't let go of Marcie's hand the entire time.

Once the doctors left, Piper turned towards her two friends. "Where's dad?" she asked, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes. Piper had seen the explosion, but she didn't know if he had made it out alive, or if any of the men in there had. She hoped that they had. She hoped that they didn't give up their lives because of her.

But, at the moment Bridget and Marcie made sorrowful eye contact, Piper read the looks on their faces. They were dead. All of them... gone. Because of her. Piper felt the tears coming again. She sunk back into the hospital bed's headboard, just staring out into space. Those police men, those valiant men who risked their lives every day for the betterment and safety of mankind, had fought their final battle. Her father had risked his life to save hers. They all had. All their deaths, all four of their deaths, were her fault. All her fault.

"It's all my fault." Piper whispered, almost inaudibly. But, it was loud enough for her two older friends to hear. "No, it's not, honey." Bridget said, and pulled Piper into her. "It's those bastards that took you who are to blame." Piper shook her head. "No, it's my fault." she said. They would have been there if it weren't for me. I should have blown up in that building, not them. It should have been me." "No, it shouldn't have." Bridget aid, and squeezed Piper a bit tighter.

"She's right, hon." Marcie insister calmly, her southern accent coming out a bit. That only happened when she was feeling a strong emotion. "You know I believe that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason that you were saved from that building, and they weren't." She leaned forward, and squeezed Piper's hand. "But..." Piper started, but Marcie but her off. "No buts, young lady." she mock scolded. "You are alive now, and I don't want you dying from guilt. None of this is your fault."

Just then, two more professional-looking men walked into the room. Except, they didn't look like doctors. They were both wearing crisp, clean suits, and one of them was carrying a briefcase. The one on the left, a tall, brunette man, cleared his throat. "Pardon us, but we are here on legal business. We would like to speak to Ms. Bennett alone, if you may." Marcie and Bridget looked towards Piper to see if she was okay with that, and Piper nodded. Marcie and Bridget slowly lifted themselves off of Piper's hospital bed, and left the room. But, before they were fully through the door, Bridget turned around and said, "We'll wait just out here. Call us if you need us."

After Piper watched her friends' backs disappear, she turned towards the two men. She didn't recognize them, but they seemed very stiff and haughty. "Hello, Ms. Bennett. We're here to conduct the legal affairs of your father's death, and to make sure that you are well taken care of. You are quite a rich girl, and no one would want anything to happen to you." Piper did a double take on that last bit. "Wait, I'm not rich. My father is... was."

"No, you're wrong, Miss Bennett." the man said. "We already carried on with the will reading. You inherited everything.

* * *

AN: Okay, a lot of you guys guessed that something like that would happen, so there you go! This would have been up about a week earlier, but my computer wouldn't let me type in a label for my document, and, apparently, FF.N won't upload a document without it! Stupid computer... Oh, well. Review, please! I know a bunch of you are out there! 


	9. Friendly Gift

AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've just been really busy. I've moved to another state to be with my sister (I kind of… ran away. But my parents know, and are okay with it, so is it really running away? I mean, I still have some contact with my mom…) And, my sister got engaged, and I'm the maid of honor. Between that and school, my life's been pretty hectic. Again, sorry for the wait!

T:T:T:T

A private jet was soaring through the skies over the Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colorado. It was pure white, and the insides were furnished elaborately. There was a couch and a few arm chairs, all covered in velvet or silk. There was a large plasma screen TV in the front of the passenger section, as well as every game system and game imaginable. There were three people sitting on the couch, each occupied with a separate activity.

The first person was a man. He was middle-aged, balding, and had gray hairs appearing here and there. He was dressed in a crisp black suit, and was typing away on a very expensive laptop. He was Mr. Jamison, the head lawyer of the firm that handled all of the Bennett family's legal affairs.

The second was also male, but he was quite a few years younger, and a couple of feet taller. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. There was a gun obviously holstered in his belt. Sunglasses covered his cool gray eyes, hiding the constant gaze around the plane, making sure that nothing was going wrong. He was a bodyguard hired to protect the youngest Bennett family member.

The third, and last, person was female. She wore a wine colored dress suit, with the skirt just barely reaching her knees. Her bright red lipstick clashed with her outfit, and she was rifling through her blue briefcase. She was Ms. Marquette, the social worker assigned to the Bennett case.

They were all there for the purpose of transporting one teenage girl from her old home with her father in New York City to her new home with her grandmother and sisters in San Francisco. The girl was Piper Bennett. Actually, it was Piper Halliwell, as she was now legally named. In her opinion, it was a long time coming.

The girl's long, brunette hair was all that could be seen as she watched the clouds pass by with her milk chocolate eyes. Her mouth was frowning as she reflected on the events that were finally bringing her to the place where she felt she belonged.

Her father had been killed by an explosion only two short weeks earlier, along with four police officers. He had been the Richest Man in America, and when he died, he had left everything to her. Piper was unable to wrap her brain around the amount of money she had then held in her possession.

But, after the funeral, which had been held a few days later, she had decided what to do with the money. She set aside some of it to take care of her college tuition and some money for her new family, and had given away the rest to several charities and the former workers of Bennett Estate, as they had all lost their jobs, and many of them were Piper's friends.

Piper shifted her eyes away from the monotonous white and blue and dug into her backpack, which was set right next to the expensive armchair in which she was lounging. She finally pulled out a plain blue book. A blue ribbon was hanging from the top of the pages as the only decoration. She opened the book to its first page. It was purely white, except for the note at the top.

_A friend to talk to when none are near. Remember, everything happens for a reason. Your eternal friends, Marcie and Bridget. _

Piper ran her hands over the note written in black ink at the top of the page. She conjured up the images of her best friends in her minds, sadly knowing that she wouldn't be able to see them as often as normal. Although she was moving in with her sisters, something she had always wanted, some bad came with the good. She was gaining a family, but losing friends.

Piper hastily flipped the page over to reveal one which was completely blank. This book was a diary that Marcie and Bridget had given her for a goodbye gift. They thought that she would want it to write down thoughts that she wouldn't be comfortable sharing with anyone else, like she had done with them.

As her thoughts drifted away, she pulled out a pen from another pocket of her backpack. She slowly placed the black-inked pen on the upper left part of the page, preparing to write on it. Her right hand carefully scripted the words _Dear Diary_. She looked at the meticulously neat handwriting, and shook her head. She placed a large _X_ over the words. _Dear Journal_ she wrote next. An _X_ was placed over that as well. _Dear_… she crossed the first word out.

She closed the diary, and threw her head back on her chair. She didn't want to write anything too cliché, but couldn't think of anything else to say. She didn't think _Yo, dude_ would be an appropriate phrase to write, especially for her. Unsatisfied, she placed the book and pen back into her book bag.

_Another day,_ Piper thought warily, sitting back into her chair and staring out the window again. _Another day_.

T:T:T:T

AN: Sorry this is so friggin' short, it just doesn't work being in the same chapter as the next one, and I'm still not completely done writing the next scene, and I wanted to give all of you patient readers something for your wait!


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